The invention pertains to the field of painting and is directed to a paint roller cleaning tool. More specifically, the invention relates to a combined cleaning and reconditioning tool particularly adapted to remove excess paint from paint absorbing rollers and to raise the nap of dry rollers. The common practice of cleaning and rinsing paint rollers is a very tedious and time-consuming task. The conventional practice of squeezing and rubbing of rollers while cleaning leaves the nap in a flattened or uneven condition after drying. This practice not only delays the drying time but also leaves the nap in a matted condition which requires it to be reconditioned before re-use of the roller. There is a need by painters, both professional and others, for an efficient paint roller=cleaning tool that leaves the roller nap in a raised attitude after cleaning and also reconditions the nap of dry rollers quickly prior to re-use.
Most paint roller cleaning devices do not address nap reconditioning and those that do have several disadvantages. One major disadvantage is time-consuming delays due to devices having complex parts that can become loose, lost or broken. Another disadvantage in regards to devices that employ arcuate shapes to condition the nap is that they fail to embrace the entire periphery of the roller during use. Since dry rollers need an occasional nap reconditioning another disadvantage is that many prior devices are designed only to remove excess paint from wet rollers.
This invention is directed to a hand tool for cleaning and reconditioning paint rollers. The primary object of this invention is to provide a very effective but simple tool to clean paint from a wet roller while at the same time to re-condition the nap of the roller. Another object of this invention is to provide a tool for reconditioning the flattened or uneven nap of dry rollers in quick fashion prior to use